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Six Months of Explaining Away a Cough That Turned Out to Be Stage 4 ALK-Positive Lung Cancer
Nay T., Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Stage 4B (Metastatic), ALK+ Symptoms: Persistent cough, loss of voice that never returned, loss of 30 lbs in six weeks without dieting, chest pain and difficulty breathing at night, waking up in the middle of the night with deep chest pain and feeling like drowning, coughing up blood…
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Cheryl Had Her Ovaries Removed to Prevent Cancer, But She Was Diagnosed with Ovarian Cancer Anyway
Cheryl S., Ovarian Cancer, Stage 3C Symptom: Abdominal pain (right side) Treatments: Surgery (cytoreductive surgery), chemotherapy, PARP inhibitor (olaparib), radiation therapy
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At 19, Every Nurse Told Taylor She Was Too Young for Rectal Cancer; She Wasn’t
Taylor M., Rectal Cancer, Stage 3C Symptoms: Irregular bowel movements, rectal bleeding Treatments: Clinical trial (radiation therapy and chemotherapy), chemotherapy, surgeries (ovarian transposition (oophoropexy), total proctocolectomy with ileostomy, hysterectomy)
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A Sharp Pain Before a Family Trip Led to Kathy’s Stage 4 ALK-Positive Lung Cancer Diagnosis
Kathy B., Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC), Stage 4 (Metastatic), ALK+ Symptoms: Jaw pain, back pain, pain in sacrum, unexplained cough, loss of voice Treatment: Targeted therapy (lorlatinib, a tyrosine kinase inhibitor)
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Kelsey’s Stage 4 Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (Primary Mediastinal B-Cell Lymphoma or PMBCL) Diagnosis
Kelsey S., Primary Mediastinal B-Cell Lymphoma, Stage 4 Symptoms: Bulging jugular vein, vasovagal fainting episode, shortness of breath, dry cough Treatments: Chemotherapy, filgrastim
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JJ Was 27 and Thought He’d Beaten Colorectal Cancer. Six Weeks Later, He Learned It Had Spread.
JJ S., Colorectal Cancer, Stage 4 (Metastatic) Symptoms: Throbbing in the abdomen that he thought was a pulled muscle, indigestion, not wanting to eat, appearance of blood in stool, rapid and unexplained weight loss (four or five pounds a week), skin turning gray, sleeping 12 to 14 hours a night Treatments: Surgery (resection of tumor),…
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Brooke’s Small Cell Ovarian Cancer Story: Chemo, Stem Cell Transplant, and Life After
Brooke M., Small Cell Ovarian Cancer, SMARCA4+ Symptoms: Bloating, abdominal pain, small abdominal lump, fatigue, inability to stand upright Treatments: Surgery (oophorectomy), chemotherapy (including hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy or HIPEC), autologous stem cell transplant
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Living With Stage 4 Melanoma: How Megan Found Her Groove Again
Megan C., Melanoma, Stage 4 (Metastatic) Symptoms: Itchy mole on the back that changed color and texture, escalating pain in the hip, lower back, and leg Treatments: Surgeries (wide excision of mole, removal of 10 lymph nodes from right armpit, orthopedic hardware surgery in the femur), immunotherapy, radiation therapy
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Tyler’s Thymic Carcinoma Diagnosis Started With What He Thought Was a Golf Injury
Tyler L., Thymic Carcinoma, Stage 4 (Metastatic) Symptoms: Dull pain in the upper abdomen that progressed to sharp, constant pain, referred pain at the tip of the shoulder (related to the phrenic nerve) Treatment: Chemotherapy
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Diagnosed With Stage 4 Melanoma: A Mole on Megan’s Back and Two Recurrences
Megan G., Melanoma, Stage 4 (Metastatic) Symptoms: Mole on the spine that grew, hurt under pressure, and broke open, appearance of a new spot near tailbone, hip pain, appearance of a lump in groin lymph nodes Treatments: Surgeries (bilateral sentinel lymph node removal, skin graft), double immunotherapy (clinical trial), chemotherapy
